Traverse County's SSURGO septic rating

Very limited

USDA puts Traverse County, MN at "Very limited" for septic absorption fields, the dominant reading across 96.4% of the county's soil. A standard gravity system routinely fails on ground like this; the same share of the county falls in USDA's worst absorption-field bucket outright. The county spans 573.872 square miles, home to 3,134 people.

What this number does and doesn't tell you

This is a countywide, area-weighted figure across every soil survey map unit in Traverse County, MN - never a reading for one specific parcel. Budget $750-$1,850 for a real perc test on any specific parcel - that's the only figure a permit application accepts.

Traverse County: conventional vs. engineered cost

96.4% of Traverse County carrying a "Very limited" reading changes the realistic budget here. Conventional systems run $3,000-$8,000 where they pass; where they don't, engineered alternatives (mound or aerobic treatment, whichever the health department requires) run $10,000-$40,000 - budget toward the higher figure until a perc test says otherwise.

How Traverse County, MN compares

Among the 3,058 rated counties on this site, Traverse County, MN ranks 477 most-constrained nationally, and 18 of 86 within Minnesota.

Before you act on this

How this rating is built, and its real limits · Conventional vs. engineered septic systems